Thunder
by zoe187
Summary: Hermione is Bella s cousin and visits Bella and Charlie in Forks. Hermione doesn t want to use magic anymore, but when she finds out that the Cullen s are vampires she might want to use her magic again.
1. Preface

_**This is my new story Thunder. I don´t own Harry Potter.  
**_

_**It´s Hermione Granger and Paul Lahote in the end. Bella and Edward will be there, too. Hermione is Bella´s cousin and visits Bella and Charlie in Forks. Hermione doesn´t want to use magic anymore, but when she finds out that the Cullen´s are vampires she might want to use her magic again. **_

_**If you like my idea you can tell me what you think of it.** _

**Approach Me**

I will cherrish and purify you

I will heal all your wounds

I will be with you

I will never leave nor forsake you

I will keep away all temptation

I will give you a light where it´s still dark because I, as the eternal light, want to chase darkness away

I want that light burning inside of you, that you lose every doubt

I'm not trying to pressure you

I am just sharing my sufferings and my grief with you

**Preface**

"Are you sure you want to do it?"

"I am pretty sure that this is a mistake Hermione," whispers the darkheaded man while touching her cheek tenderly. Blood is running down his hands as he touches her face. Right now she doesn´t care about the blood on her face. All she can think of is revenge. Sweet revenge on those who made their lives a living hell for all those years.

"How else can we end all this? Believe me when I say that I have think about other options Harry, but there are none." Harry touches her cheek once more and then he begins to smile. Maybe this is not a bad idea.

"Don´t worry, we will be near."

"I know Harry. I know." Hermione smiles once more, this time a bit ashamed. She knows that her white dress is ripped and that she has blood all over her body now. She only wishes to see her parents again and she really needs to get out of her worn clothes. She glares at Harry. He, too, is pretty much in the same state as her. His glasses are broken, his jacket and his pants are ripped open and he has some mud in his hair from his last fight.

"Okay, be careful."

"Always," she assures quickly before Harry goes into hinding behind a park bench. She can only smile benignly as she takes a look behind the park bench. Her other friend, Ronald, is there, too, but it seems like he doesn´t like her plan.

"Whom do we have here?" Comes a clear voice from behind the woods. Hermione gets the chills. She knows this voice very well. The darkheaded woman steps out of the shadows and begins to laugh cruelly. Hermione needs to take her bloodied hands to her ears or else she might get crazy. The woman takes a deep breath before she spits on the ground right beside where Hermione is standing.

"Bellatrix."

"Mudblood. What a surprise to see you here."

Hermione takes another step back. Too many things are on her mind right now. Is it really a good idea? Maybe she should walk away? No, it´s too late for running away.

"I have been waiting for you", replies Hermione while pressing her lips together.

"What do you want mudblood? Fight against me?" Laughs the woman in front of her and begins to take a step towards her. Suddenly Hermione sees that Harry is waving his wand towards Bellatrix. It´s obvious that he wants to send a curse.

"Harry, no!"

"You think you can win? Against us? What a shame!" Cries the woman in front of her and blocks the curse easily.

"I will teach you a lesson." Before Hermione knows what is happening she feels the cold hand of Bellatrix touching her face. She tries to get away from her touch and almost trips over lifeless body of man on the ground. Hermione gasps when she sees him. He has no clothes on and his face is no longer noticeable.

"You see. It´s a lesson for life."

"Don´t concentrate on the wrong things in life", laughs Bellatrix. Hermione doesn´t understand her words until she feels a sharp pain in her left shoulder. She takes her eyes off Bellatrix and looks over her shoulder. At first she sees nothing but dark eyes which are almost black. She then notices that she knows the man who is hiding under a dark hood. His shabby clothes give nothing good away.

"Dolohov", says Hermione with pure hatress towards him.

"Nice to meet you again mudblood." The man only grins at her while licking the knife point clean. He smells her blood and doesn´t want to lose any time. Hermione feels the knife once again on her skin and tries to find hold on the man´s shoulder. Even before Hermione hit the ground someone pushes Bellatrix bloodied figure away from her. Hermione only sees Ron trying to get his hands on her. He pushes Bellatrix on the ground and begins to choke her until she passes out. Dolohov lets go of Hermione and flees into the woods with the knive. Harry tries to curse him, but the man has already turned into a monster. Harry stops at the end of the street and shakes his head. He will never get used to this. All those little horror stories written for kids are real. Wolves, witches, magic, all this is real. A littel too real for his taste.

"Hermione!" Harry screams as he keeps running towards her.

"Hermione, please say something", pleads Harry while taking her lifeless hand into his shaking hand. It can´t end like this.

"She is not breathing! Ron, she is not breathing." His voice is full of pain and hate. His friend finally glares at the young woman on the ground with pity in his eyes.

"I know, I know Harry", shouts the redheaded guy before he gets up from the ground. He then begins to speak in a panic tone.

"Harry, where is she? Where is Bellatrix?" Panic is written all over his face as he is looking at the ground. Not ten seconds ago Bellatrix has been there.

"I looked away for a second, only a second…"

"No. No," cries Harry with pure anger.

"We need to tell the others. We need to find her and Dolohov. They can´t escape."

"Harry, I need to find my family. I need to know if they are okay."

"I understand."

"When I find them I will tell them to come for you," whispers Ron quickly and runs down the empty streets. Harry stares after his friend for a while until he realizes that Hermione is still lying on the cold ground.

"Everything is going to be fine," he whispers to Hermione and helps her to stand up. He notices immediately that she is not strong enoug to stand on her own. The darkheaded man carries the woman down the street. He is not afraid of bad news. His heart is firm, but he really wishes that she is going to be okay.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"Harry, will you please stop doing this. You make me nervous."

"I can´t help myself. It´s just so unbelievable that we are finally home," whispers Harry full of excitement and joy as he taps his fingers against the kitchen table.

"Yeah, it´s really unbelievable," answers Hermione while preparing another coffee for Harry.

"I can´t believe that we actually took a flight to Australia instead of using magic," says Harry after a few minutes of silence.

"You know there is a good reason for it."

"I know, I am just not used to it that´s all."

"You know it´s not that hard to live a normal life," smiles Hermione softly at Harry.

"You seem happier today."

"That´s because I feel good."

"What about the dreams you had?"

"I haven´t dreamed for three days now."

"Okay, it´s nice to hear that you are better."

"Harry, we all had bad times. Every friend we have has lost someone," says Hermione before she gets up from her chair and takes Harry´s hand into hers. She knows exactly who Harry is thinking about. Sirius Black, his uncle. He lost the fight against Bellatrix as he was protecting Harry. The worst part is that Sirius was killed by his own cousin.

"It changes from day to day. Sometimes I still think about the day he died."

"I know Harry, I know." Hermione embraces him and thinks about another friend they lost last year. Fred Weasley gave his life to save his sister Ginny. He really deserves to be called a hero.

"Ron left me a message," mumurs Harry. He knows it´s unexpected to Hermione and looks away from her.

"What? How is he? I haven´t seen him since... since..."

"Oh, I think he is alright. Hermione, there is something you need to know."

"Harry, what is it?"

"Ron is… He is…"

"What did Ronald do this time?"

"He met someone while we were away in Australia," answers Harry before taking a deep breath.

"Oh."

"Yes, I didn´t know how you would react."

"It´s okay."

"Are you sure? I know how you feel about Ron."

"I don´t know what you are talking about."

"Don´t think so. Everybody, and I mean everybody, knows that you like Ron."

"Everybody?"

"Yeah, Everybody. With the exeption of…"

"Ronald."

"I am afraid that Ron has no clue about your feelings for him. Maybe you should talk to him."

"I think it´s too late for it."

"Hermione, if I have learned anything in the past few years then that anything is impossible until someone tries it and succeeds. It´s only too late when you lose hope." He looks around and finished his coffee.

"Where are your parents?"

"Oh, they should be back soon."

"Do they still have memories of Australia?"

"My Dad says his old memories are stronger than the new ones about Australia. But Mom says she can´t decide whether she wants to live as Penny Wendell or Tanya Granger.

"I am sorry Hermione."

"There is nothing you should be sorry about Harry."

"It´s all my fault."

"Harry James Potter. You are not responsible that Voldemort came back from his grave and found his armee again. And you are certainly not responsible that Bellatrix took over his regime after he died."

"Hermione, I know that all of this is my fault. You and the Weasleys should have stayed away from me."

"Don´t say things like this. The past eight years weren´t easy, yes, but I don´t regret being you friend."

"Thanks. This really means a lot to me."

"I know."

"Okay, I think it´s time for me to leave."

"Okay."

"I will send an owl as soon as I can."

"Harry?"

"Hermione?"

"Who is it?"

"I don´t understand…"

"Who is Ron seeing?" Harry doesn´t answer.

"It is someone I know, right?"

"Yes," answers Harry sadly. Hermione doesn´t know what to say and decides to ignore the fact that Ron is seeing someone.

"Bye Harry." Without saying another word she waits until Harry leaves the house of her parents. Just as Harry leaves the courtyard she decides that she needs some fresh air. She pulls the hood of her jacket over her head before leaving the kitchen in a rush. It´s alreasdy dark outside and she smiles when it starts to rain. She loves when the rain is touching her skin. It makes her feel so... so alive.

She leans against the Volvo and closes her eyes. What has happened to her life? A few years ago she was just a normal student at primary school in London and suddenly everything had changed. She saw things she had never seen before in her life. And she learned about magic. Magic wasn´t the worst that happened to her, but she has decided to leave the supernatural world behind for good. She wants a save life, without magic and chaos. Without monsters around every corner.

She doesn´t know how long she is standing in the courtyard before she hears a loud noise inside the house. A deep breath follows and then she is ready to go inside. As she steps inside the kitchen she immediately notices the stench.

"Sulfur?" Hermione shakes her head.

"Mom? Dad? Are you home?" Cries Hermione and begins to search the house for her parents. They should already be home. It shouldn´t take this long to greet the new neighbor. She enters the living room with a frown and notices that something is wrong. Really wrong. The room has a different smell and she doesn´t like it. Not at all. When she sees a shadow right behind the couch she knows that something is off.

"Who is there?" Asks Hermione a little unsure if she wants to know the answer. Maybe it´s just Harry who has forgotten something? She tries not to think about the worst scenario while taking a step back.

"It´s been awhile since our last meeting," Hermione hears the sharp voice of the dark figure she know so well.

"Bellatrix."

"Hello mudblood."

"No, you can´t be here. I saw how they captured you," whispers Hermione in hope that this is all a bad dream. Her hands begin to tremble and she presses her lips together.

"I see you haven´t learned your lesson," laughs the dark lady as she steps into the tiny room.

"You know your worthless parents have a nice house."

"Where are they?"

"If you are talking about the worthless scum then you just need to turn around mudblood."

Just as Hermione is ready to fight Bellatrix takes out her wand and reaches Hermione.

"You should really think about your last words. I am sure you want to make Mommy and Daddy proud, don´t you?" Says Bellatrix with a smile and Hermione gasps at her. Bellatrix pushes her to the ground and it´s only now that she sees what has happened.

"No! No!"

"Oh yes. You are next," whispers the woman in her ear. Hermione lays beside her parents. She looks down at her right hand and begins to panic. What causes so much blood lost? She then looks at the wound again and gasps loudly. It´s not her blood. It´s the blood of her Dad. She tries to get up and escape all the blood and horror. With every second that goes by she gets more nervous, but then everything is changing. The front-door opens with a loud bang and another shadow steps inside the house. Hermione holds her breath even though she doesn´t see the person yet. Lucius Malfoy steps into the living room with a huge grin on his face.

"Bella. I see you haven´t finished the mudblood yet."

"Not quite Lucius."

"Why don´t you let me finished this," hears Hermione the blond man say.

"With pleasure Lucius. I was quite bored with the mudblood anyway."

"Goodbye mudblood," laughs Bellatrix. She gets on her knees right next to Hermione and her parents. She then takes Hermione by her long hair and presses her head roughly to the cold ground. Hermione doesn´t make a sound not even when her cheeks begin to bleed.

"Interesting. I think you will have a lot of fun with her Lucius." Another kick in Hermione´s stomach follows before the demon leaves the house in a rush.

"Now you are where you belong." Lucius gets on his knees just like Bellatrix.

"Malfoy," whimpers Hermione. She is pretty sure she won´t be able to defend herself. At least not without magic.

"It will be a pleasure to break you mudblood." Lucius is careless for a moment and Hermione can kick him in his stomach. He trips and falls to the ground. She knows she has to use her magic to protect her family and her own life. When she reaches her Dad she sees that his eyes are wide open and blood comes out of his mouth. Her Mom doesn´t look better. The only difference is that her eyes are closed. Hermione stares at them in shock. There is blood everywhere. Too much blood and all of the sudden she feels sick in her stomach.

"Mom! Wake up." She tries to help her Mom, but its pointless. The demon decides to attack her once more.

"Leave my house or…"

"Or what?"

"I wil…"

"Hermione!" Shouts a panic voice. Another person comes inside the house and Hermione is on the edge of sanity.

"Harry, you shouldn´t be here."

"I was on my way to the Weasley´s when I heard shouting coming from your house," replies Harry. He is out of breath and then he looks at Hermione´s face.

"What happened to your fa…"

"We don´t want to be rude," hears Harry a strong voice say.

"Malfoy!" Shouts Harry loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

"Potter! It´s a pleasure to see you alive one more time before you are going to die."

"Harry, get down," pleads Hermione as Lucius sends a curse towards her friend. Harry can block the curse just in time. The curse hits the wall behind Harry and leaves a massive hole. Harry often wonders if Lucius Malfoy has a soul, but when he sees that the blond man points his wand at Hermione he is sure about one thing. Lucius Malfoy is a soulless monster. He can only watch as Hermione is roughly dragged away by her arm. Malfoy then presses her against the wall.

"Potter, you better take down your wand before your precious mudblood will get hurt," speaks Lucius in a harsh tone and points his wand at Hermion´s throat. Harry watches Hermione´s expression and notices that she doesn´t move. He hesitates for a moment before he drops his wand.

"Good. And now we can move on to the fun part," laughs the blond man cruelly before he pushes Hermione and grabs her by her hair. Harry knows it´s not easy for Hermione to keep her temper in check. Just as their eyes meet she shakes her head as if to warn Harry.

"Don´t touch her." Harry takes his wand back and can stop Lucius just in time.

„Expelliarmus."

"Nice try Potter, but I have expected more from you and your mudblood. What a shame that it must end like this." Lucius sends a curse and for a second the world stands still. Hermione stares after Lucius as he leaves the house with a cruel smirk. A few seconds go by before she comes back to reality. The living room is up in flames now and all she can see is the blood on her clothes and her parents on the ground.

"Harry!"

"Hermione, we need to leave now," pleads her friend and grabs her hand. They can escape the fire before the whole house is up in flames. Hermione coughs hard and holds tightly onto Harry´s shoulder. Harry, too, has a hard time. He coughs hard and it´s hard for him to stand on his own. They sink to the ground.

"My parents."

"Oh god, what just happened?" Hears Harry Hermione say before she covers her mouth with her hand.

"Harry, my parents. They are still in there," says Hermione and wants to get away from Harry. He wouldn´t let her go. He can´t lose her.

"It´t okay," whispers Harry softly to her.

"No, Harry, they are still in the house," shouts Hermione full of anger and lets herself fall into the arms of her friend.

"It´s okay. It´s okay, I am here. I am here," assures Harry as he watches the flames.

"I am so sorry. Mom, Dad, please forgive me," begins Hermione to say over and over again.

"Malfoy will pay for this. He will pay for what he did tonight. I promise everything is going to be alright."


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Everybody knows the horror stories about witches, vampires and lurking shadows. Well, they are all real and it´s up to her to keep her secrets. Some terrible things have happened to Hermione. She has tried to make the right choices, but she has failed. She thinks the worst part in her life is being alone, but there is something else out there. Something, she has no control of.

She closes her eyes before getting up from her bed. She can´t sit still, nor remain in her room. She stares blankly at her fragile figure in the mirror. She has nightmares every night and is in a bad state. She doesn´t look anything like she used to be. Her face is paler than usual, her hair is gathered into a ponytail and no make-up can be seen on her.

It may be warm in town, but she puts her dark hood over her head before frowning and preparing herself for another dreary day. Here we go again. Assuming that her uncle is still asleep, she tries to make no sound and tiptoes through the almost silent room, skipping down the stairs. Not turning around once she suddenly has the odd feeling that someone is watching her, yet there is nobody when she turns. Weird. Hasn´t there been a shadow? Perhaps it´s just her imagination, but maybe her uncle or her cousin are already awake and not in a good mood. She hears her uncle calling out.

"No," exclaims Hermione, hoping he doesn´t hear anything. She hasn´t expected his appearence for at least another thirty minutes. Her cousin Briant isn´t around yet, but she knows he will eventually wake up.

Mike Granger has never been a kind man before, but now he is a walking shadow. All hell will be let loose if he notices that she always leaves the house early. Her uncle isn´t even the worst part. No, it´s Briant, her cousin. He is two years older than her and is always in a foul mood since she has moved in with them. Mike is lawyer in London not far away from town. Not the best, but he makes good money. When she enters the kitchen he is already waiting for her and it seems that he is very angry at her.

"I don´t want you to go anywhere without my permition," shouts Mike, while she doesn´t dare looking at him.

"What do you mean?" whispers Hermione loud enough.

"I know that you always leave early to meet him," says her uncle and makes a quick move towards her.

"That´s not true", tries Hermione tries to assure him, but it´s already too late. He makes another steps towards her and grabs her by her shoulder.

"Your little friend with the disgusting scar. I know you two are together," replies Mike in a taunting tone.

"Don´t talk about him like that. His name is Harry."

"You won´t talk back and lie to me in my house," says her uncle with a dangerous voice and strokes her cheek before pushing her away from him. She falls to the ground.

"Come on, get up," says Mike with an angry voice. Hermione shakes her head. She knows she could heal her wounds with magic, but her uncle has no idea that she is in fact a witch and she doesn´t want him to know.

"You will be here when I get back, do you understand?"

"Yes Sir."

"Good. Now, clean up this mess," says Mike and leaves the room. She looks around the room. So far it´s not as bad as the last time. A few empty bottles are lying on the floor as well as some clothes. She can smell something rotten, but begins to clean the mess without complaining. Suddenly the front door bursts open and Briant storms into the kitchen, looking furiously at her small figure. What does he want? Hermione is beyond frightened and dares to take a look at his red face. His blond hair is messed up and his clothes are ripped. When he steps towards her she can smell that he has been drinking. He grabs her shoulder roughly and makes a fist with his other hand. He is at least six feet tall and knows that she is scared of him. Hermione doesn´t cry and bits her lips. She is used to his actions, but she wants to be left alone. Briant stares at her like a mad man and then loosens his grip and lets go of her.

"I knew you would be here," Briant stares at her with an arrogance look and laughs loudly before he leaves. Finally. She hides her face under the hood of her jacket before she kneels down in front the table. She doesn´t want to clean up the mess, but she has no other choice. She sighs heavily and doesn´t even bother to hide her tears anymore. They have done good work to humiliate her, but she doesn´t want to give them satisfaction. Not at all. She is more restless than she has ever been before. It feels like her heart is jumping up and down in her chest. Not because of Mike and Briant. No, it´s because she is going to meet Harry.

"Hermione, come to the living room. Now!" Hears Hermione the voice of her uncle say. She gets the chills, but of course she gets up from the kitchen floor and quickly moves.

"What is it Mike?" She asks out of breath.

"What is... What is it?" Replies Mike while getting red in the face. She doesn´t even dare to look at his face for more than five seconds. She is too scared he might see right through her.

"Briant will drive you to the library," he simply says after another minute of silence.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"But I thought that..."

"You shouldn´t think at all. Now get ready. You will leave in ten minutes," says Mike and takes a huge sip from his coffee.

"And don´t be late today, do you understand?"

Yes sir," answers Hermione while grabbing her bag. She isn´t sure why Briant is going to drive her to the library, but it doesn´t matter. She will realize her plan to meet Harry anyway. She smiles a litte, but then she notices Briant´s crazy stares and her smile immediately fades. She frowns at him when they get in the car. She doesn´t say anything for the rest of the ride.

"Where are you going so fast?" Asks Briant in a dangerous tone when she gets off the car in a hurry. Hermione glances back at Briant and lies to him without thinking twice.

"I am going to study now," says Hermione while pointing at the huge building in front of her.

"I am going to watch you Hermione," yells Briant after her. She quickly moves, not knowing why she even bothers to do so. Briant most definitely won´t even notice if she is gone. He will be busy with Payton, his current girlfriend. She steps inside the library, but then stops for a moment. She then turns around and smiles when Briant is nowhere in sight. Two hours later she leaves the library with five different books in her bag. The wind blows through her dark hair, yet it feels pleasant. She needs to hurry up now. Harry must already be waiting for her at the coffee house. He currently lives in the old manor of his uncle Sirius. He and Ron work together at the Ministry of Magic while Hermione tries to finish her school education. She has send a few applications to several universities, but none has answers so far.

"Hermione?" Asks her friend when Hermione is standing in front of him.

"Can we go inside?" Hears Harry his friend ask.

"Sure," says Harry and holds the door open for her.

"Listen, there has been a change of plans."

"What change of plans?"

"My uncle wants me to be home early," she lies. Harry looks oddly at her and takes a better look at her. He then gasps when he sees her swollen eye and red cheek.

"What happened to your face?"

"Oh, it´s nothing," answers Hermione quickly while trying to hide her face from his view.

"Bullshit. What happened?" Whispers Harry before touching her cheek tenderly.

"I fell down the stairs."

"Okay, since when are you so clumsy? That´s not the Hermione Granger I know."

"I am the same Hermione, believe me."

"Harry, please believe me. Everything´s alright," pleads Hermione. She can´t tell him the truth.

"Okay, I trust you."

"Thanks."

"You know there is something you need to know. Ron asked for you."

"Is that so?"

"Mione, he still worries about you and he is not the only one."

"Harry, for the last time. I am okay."

"Why did Ron ask for me?"

"As I was saying he is worried about you. You just ran away when you last saw him."

"You know why I did it."

"I guess, but you shouldn´t forget that Ron is our friend."

"Oh please. He hasn´t been a good friend in the past few months, now has he?"

"Mione, he tried. You just never give him a chance."

"Harry, I tried. I really tried, but I can´t be near him when she is around."

"You mean Lav…"

"Lavender."

"Oh. I know it must be hard for you, but Ron seems really happy with her," says Harry while Hermione is getting red in her face.

"He kissed me," she blurts out.

"What?"

"Ron, he kissed me before he came together with Lavender."

"I... I don´t know what to say."

"There is nothing to talk about. He kissed me and I trusted him."

"Did you talk to him?"

"I never really tried," admits Hermione full of sorrow.

"Why not? He would have…he would…"

"What would he have done? Told me that the kiss was a mistake? Told me that he prefers Lavender? I can´t…I can´t take it anymore..."

"It´s okay."

"No. I need to go now. I am sorry."

"Wait!" She can hear the quick steps behind her, but she doesn´t care right now. Instead she begins to walk faster and leaves the coffee house. She doesn´t want to leave Harry because she knows exactly what is awaiting her when she gets home. She knows Mike must be already waiting for her. He always does.

"Where have you been?"

"I was at the library." Mike watches her before taking a step towards her.

"You were with this boy, right?"

"His name is Harry."

"Yeah right. He is so disgusting," laughs Mike loudly.

"You shouldn´t talk like that about hi..."

"You dare talking back? After all I have done for you?" Demands Mike to know.

"No, I don´t mean it like th..."

"This ist the last time you tell me what to do in my house," cries Mike full of anger towards her. He then grabs her by her hair. She tries to get away from him and pushes him. His grip loosens and he struggles to get a hold on her. Hermione is full of panic now and pushes him one more time. A glass breaks as he falls to the kitchen floor. The blood dripping from Mike´s head is just another reminder of one fateful night and for the fist time she is glad that she could defend herself. She grabs her bag and lets out a huge sigh. She knows it´s not right to leave without leaving a message for Harry, but she has no other choice but to leave now. It has started to rain, but she takes the short cut through the woods. Maybe it´s not wise to wander alone in the darkest night, but she doesn´t care. Everything´s better without them. Hermione tries to calm herhelf. She is out of breath, but it´s hard for her to breathe properly because of her injuries. She can´t go to the hospital. Too many questions. She has sworn to never use magic again and she will never break this promise no matter what. Depite her promise she has her wand in her pocket. Mike doesn´t need to know anything about her magic.

Just as she is searching for her wand she notices something in her pocket. It´s a letter from her uncle Charlie Swan she has received the other day. He has been asking for her parents all summer and has no clue what has happened to them. She lets out a huge sigh while thinking about her uncle. What if she leaves London? What if she visits Charlie in America? Would he recognise her? Maybe. She has a glimmer of hope in her eyes when she reaches the nearest bank and steps inside. She instantly notices people staring at her and pulls her hood over her head to hide her face.

"I would like to withdraw money from my account."

"Okay Miss. Just fill out these papers."

"Okay," Hermione answers slowly and fills out the papers. The young lady then looks oddly at her.

"Are you sure you want that amount of money?" Hears Hermione the woman ask. Is she really sure? Her parents has left her enough money, but should she really take it for a trip to America? She glares at the blonde woman before nodding her head.

"Yes, I am pretty certain."

"Okay. Please wait a minute," says the woman with a small smile. Hermione, on the other hand, can do nothing to calm herself down, but when the woman comes back she smiles.

"Thank you," Hermione says and takes the money.

"Have a nice day."

"You too," whispers Hermione and soon leaves the bank. The airport is not far away from the city and it doesn´t take long to reach it.

"Miss, are you alright?" Asks the blonde woman when she is standing in front of the check-in counter. Hermione doesn´t answer. Instead she presses her jacket closer to her body and smiles softly.

"One way ticket to Seattle," replies Hermione in a weak tone. The desicion is not easy, but they can´t find her. She turns around one more time and frowns. No, they can´t find her. There is no way she will let that happen.


	4. Chapter 3

**So it begins...  
**

**Chapter 3  
**

She takes a deep breath before getting off the plane. She still can´t believe that she´s in Seattle now. She´s finally free. She grabs her bag and looks around. Then, her phone begins to ring. She sighs loudly.

"It better not be Mike or Briant," she mutters and answers the phone.

"Hello," says a deep on the other end of the line.

"Harry?" Asks Hermione bewildered.

"Thank god you are okay," he breathes a sigh of relief.

"I´ve been worried about you the whole day."

"I am so sorry," she blurts out without thinking twice.

"Why would you leave?" Asks Harry with a strong voice.

"Oh, I am...There is...I just want to visit my uncle in Forks."

"Forks? Where is it?"

"Washington," she admits slowly and blushes slightly even though Harry can´t see her.

"What? Where are you now?"

"I´ve just landed in Seattle."

"Why did you really leave Hermione?"

"Harry, can I call you back later?"

"Sure, but you need to know that your cousin and uncle are worried about you," says Harry.

"What? Did you talk to them?" She is full of fear.

"Well, I was worried and thought your uncle would know where you are..."

"Please don´t tell me you told him about our meeting," pleads Hermione.

"No, not really."

"Good."

"So, your cousin said he last saw you at the library."

"I know, I didn´t tell him about our meeting," says Hermione.

"Listen, I need to go now. I will call you back later."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Okay," she says before ending the call. She catches the shuttle bus to Port Angeles just in time. It´s going to be a four hours trip, but it´s worth it. On the trip from Port Angeles to Forks Hermione falls asleep with one of her new books in her hands. She hasn´t been in Forks for a long time and is really excited to see her uncle. When she walks down the sidewalk in Forks she notices that the streets are empty.

"I guess Forks really is a small town," she whispers to herself. People are staring at her, but she couldn´t care less about them. It doesn´t take long to find Charlie´s house. It still looks the same.

"Here goes nothing," whimpers Hermione before knocking at the door. A middle-aged man appears at the door and looks at her a little irritated.

"Yes?" Asks the brown-haired man with a deep voice while staring at her.

"Charlie?"

"Yeah. How do you know my name?" He damands to know.

"It´s me. Hermione," answers Hermione. She really hopes he will recognize her.

"Holy cow! Hermione Granger?" Asks the man in front of her.

"Yes, it´s me uncle Charlie,"

"You want to come in for a coffee?" Her uncle finally asks and holds the door open for her.

"Yes, that would be nice," answers Hermione while getting inside the house. She is glad that Charlie hasn´t asked about her parents yet.

"Where are your parents? I haven´t heard from them in months," admits Charlie while taking a seat on the couch.

"They are not with me," answers Hermione full of sorrow.

"So, where are you going to stay Hermione?"

"Oh, I...I..."

"You don´t know?" He finally asks.

"I haven´t decided yet uncle Charlie. There is this motel not far away fr..."

"You know what, you can stay with me for a couple of days," says Charlie with a small smile.

"Are you for real? That would be great."

"You can wait here while I..."

"Oh no. You know what, I will get the coffee."

"Thanks," says Charlie and smiles at her. Just when she is about to enter the kitchen she hears someone open the back door. She is pretty sure that someone has just entered the house and begins to panic.

"Uncle CHARLIE!"

"Hermione? What´s going on?"

"There is someone in kitchen."

"Are you sure?" Asks Charlie in a serious tone.

"Yes."

"Okay, wait here," warns Charlie while getting something out of his jacket. A gun. Hermione gasps loudly, but then she remembers something important. Charlie is police officer in Forks and allowed to carry a gun.

"Bella, you are back early," hears Hermione her uncle say.

"What´s going on Dad?" Wants the brown-haired girl to know. Charlie is about to answer the question when Hermione decides to make an appearance.

"I am sorry. I guess I should have told you that Bella has moved in with me."

"It´s okay."

"Hi Bella."

"Hermione? I can´t believe you are here. It´s been awhile," says Bella while hugging Hermione.

"Yeah, too long," whispers Hermione.

"Where are your parents?"

"I can´t...I can´t…they are not..."

"Bella, why don´t you go to the living room. Hermione and I will follow soon."

"Okay Dad," replies Bella before smiling at Hermione.

"Hermione, I know you don´t want to talk about it, but you can trust us. We are your family."

"I know Charlie. It´s just..."

"It´s just too much right now. I get it, but we are here."

"You can trust us."

"Okay."

"I think it´s time for a cool bier what do you think?" Charlie grins before grabbing a beer from the table. Hermione, on the hand, decides to go back to the living room.

"So, what brings you to Forks? Don´t get me wrong, I am glad you are here, but Forks has nothing to offer," asks Bella when Hermione enters the room.

"Oh, I have…"

"She has just finished school and thought it would be nice to visit her good old uncle in Forks," interrupts Charlie when he joins them.

"Really? That´s great," exclaims her cousin before getting up from the couch.

"I am going to bed now. It has been a long day. Night Dad. See you later Hermione."

"Definitely."

"Good night."

"Night," Charlie and Hermione say when Bella´s leaving the room.

"You know I should give you warning," Hermione hears her uncle say.

"Warn me? About what?" Asks Hermione with a panic voice.

"Bella´s boyfriend."

"Bella has a boyfriend?"

"Unfortunately she does," says her uncle in a cool tone.

"Sorry, I just can´t believe that Bella has a boyfriend. How old is she?"

"She turned eighteen seven months ago."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"What´s her boyfriend´s name?"

"Edward," answers Charlie.

"Edward?"

"Yes, Edward Cullen. He lives with his familiy near Forks. If you ask me they are kind of weird," answers Charlie while avoiding to look into Hermione´s face.

"There is something else, right?"

"Yes," admits Charlie after awhile.

"Sorry, I shouldn´t have asked about Bella´s business. I can´t even tell you why I am really in Forks..."

"It´s not like that Hermione," says Charlie in a hush tone.

"What is it Charlie?"

"Edward and Bella are getting married," says Charlie grudgingly.

"What?" Asks Hermione clearly not believing the news.

"They are getting married," answers Charlie with a frown.

"Oh, you don´t like him," notices Hermione.

"I wouldn´t say it like that..."

"What do you mean?"

"Everytime I see him I get this weird feeling like something is really wrong with him…"

"Okay. I guess I know what you mean."

"Fine, you got me there. I can´t stand him. Too much has happened."

"Oh," answers Hermione while staring at the ground. Finally Charlie begins to tell what has happened between Bella and Edward. Hermione gasps when Charlie finished. She can really understand why Charlie doesn´t like this guy. Everything her uncle has described is just horrible. Edward has left Bella? Bella has been in a bad state for months? This sounds nothing like Hermione has expected it to be.

"And then Jacob came along."

"Jacob?"

"Yes, he is the son of a friend. Maybe you will meet him sometime."

"Okay," says Hermione, still wondering what´s really going on between Edward and Bella. Charlie then continues. He is firmly convinced that Bella would be with Jacob Black if Edward had not returned. According to Charlie she is getting married to a man who is going to hurt her.

"It´s getting late. Charlie."

"You are right, it´s getting late. Bella has to go to school tomorrow, but I will be free all day. Maybe we can go to town."

"Yes, maybe. Good night," says Hermione with a small smile on her lips.

"Your room is upstairs. The second door on the left side."

"Thank you. I will see you tomorrow Charlie."

"Good night," replies her uncle before leaving the living room. Hermione doesn´t really want to go to sleep and so she decides to go outside for a walk. It´s already dark outside and she pulls her jacket closer to her body. She is not afraid of the dark, but everything about this town is giving her the creeps. Deep in thought she almost trips over a stone, but someone catches her just in time. She gasps as she feels strong arms around her waist. She suddenly feels a warm sensation and stares at her rescuer. She notices that a strange guy is holding her in his arms. He wears a dark hoody and ripped jeans. She can´t see his face properly and that kind of bothers her. She really hasn´t seen this coming.

"Watch where you are going," whispers the stranger dangerously, reaching behind to grab her again and bringing her around to face him. At first she stares at his dark clothes. Her gaze continues its journey up to see his chest rising and falling heavily. Her eyes eventually rest on his face. When his eyes finally meet Hermione's, she´s confused because his face expresses nothing but anger. Shaken from her shock, Hermione can´t help it but give a remark.

"You could have been careful, too," Hermione's voice drops to an almost reverential whisper. His eyes remain connected with hers and he swallows hard. Then he shakes his head, laughing ruefully.

"No, I don´t think so." In a split second, his expression turns cold and murderous. His gaze then flicks up from hers. She shifts uncomfortable even though there shouldn´t be a reason to feel nervous.

It´s just now that she notices his burning stare. Shaking his head as if to banish certain thoughts, he musters a smile. Undeniably, it´s the first flutters of excitement, the stuff of white-knuckled, heart-stopping adrenalin rushes. The stranger´s face is darkening as he glares at her. He then turns away and disappears without another word into the woods. She stares after him, shaking her head in disbelief.

What has just happened? Hermione squeezes her eyes shut and shakes her head frantically. Tears blinds Hermione's vision and her throat is narrowed by an overwhelming sense. When she walks back to Charlie´s house she looks up at the blackened sky and begins to choke and sob as heavy rain touches her skin. It´s past midnight when she reaches her resting place.

Just as she´s walking past Bella´s room she suddenly stops in her tracks and breathes heavily. There is a shadow in Bella´s room. She makes a step towards Bella´s bed and notices that the shadow has gone. Weird. She glares at Bella´s sleeping form before she turns and closes the door behind her. Later that night she rolls over in bed and hugs the soft pillow. It has all come back to her and haunts her. The nightmares, Briant, Mike. She sits up and takes a deep breath. Just then her uncle opens the door to Hermione's room. The sound of creaking wood alerts her to his presence. His expression immediately changes to a frown when he sees Hermione sobbing.

"Hermione? What´s wrong? Are you in pain?" Asks Charlie softly.

"Yes," she sobs instinctively.

"I mean, not really. I just…" Hermione shakes her head slightly and pulls her knees up against her chest as Charlie sits down on the bed.

"I think I should tell you the truth now..."


	5. Chapter 4

**So it begins...  
**

**Chapter 4  
**

He has never thought that his whole life would change dramatically. But then it has happened. First his parents has disappeared and then he has turned into a wild beast which has no regret at all. He hasn´t thought that monsters are real, until he has turned into some. He has a pretty good guess who is responsible for all his misery. The Cullen´s. All things would be different, if it weren´t for them. He is sure about it.

"Paul, come on."

"What´s up?" Wants Paul to know when he hears the booming voice of his friend Jacob.

"We need to go now. Something´s happening in Forks," whispers Jacob before looking at him.

"What, now?"

"Yeah, now."

"Leave me alone Black," answers Paul while looking at the pretty girl in his bed. Jacob follows his gaze and rolls his eyes. Of course she would be here.

"No, sorry can´t do that. Sam wants all of us in Forks," laughs his friend almost cruelly. Sam, the Alpha of their pack, has some weird speculation that something bad will happen soon. Of course there is the wedding of Bella Swan and the youngest Cullen and Sam is really worried about Jacob. He thinks Jacob might lose control someday. They all do think so. They are monsters now, who will destroy everything and everyone in their way. And Edward Culllen is definately in Jacob´s way. Everyone who knows about Jacob´s feelings for the pretty girl is sure that Edward is a threat.

"Just give me a minute Black. Lara´s still asleep."

"Of course. I will wait outside," says Jacob before leaving the room in a rush. Paul tries not to think about Jacob´s reaction. He knows that his friends don´t like Lara, but they still haven´t told them the reason.

"Lara, I need to go now," says Paul before touching the girls face tenderly. Normally he isn´t the type who wants a woman to stay, but Lara Lacey has something about her. He still has to figure out what it is.

"What´s going on Paul?" Wants Lara to know.

"I just said that I need to go."

"Oh, okay," replies Lara before turning away from him. She then closes her eyes.

"Sorry, it means you need to go, too," tries Paul again. He really doesn´t want her to be angry at him. Lara then turns to him with tears in her eyes.

"What exactly do you need to do at a time like this?"

"Things."

"Things? Oh, I think I understand."

"What do you mean?"

"You meet another girl, am I right? The girl scream suddenly. Paul stares at her as if she´s crazy. That can´t be real. Everything has been fine before. He glares at her before turning around. He slams the door shut behind him. Sometimes it´s not easy to understand Lara. He doesn´t care if she stays at his house now as long as she won´t be in his house when he returns.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" Asks Jacob when he sees Paul coming towards him.

"Nothing. Let´s go," replies Paul. He´s still really angry.

„Okay," replies Jacob and soon both reach Forks.

"Jake, can you please stop thinking about Bella when I am around you?"

"I can´t help it," says his friend with a small smile while Paul is shaking his head. He can´t believe that this girl is playing his friend so cruelly. Jacob really is an idiot. He is in love with Bella and would do anything for her, but he hasn´t told her yet. Paul, on the other hand, never shows his feelings like other guys. He has learned his lesson early and always hids his face behind a mask. He laughs, because everything has gone pretty well considering his condition.

"You won´t go to Bella´s house tonight. I will go there."

"What? Why? You think I can´t protect her?"

"No, not really."

"Listen, I think you can´t think when you´re around her. It´s dangerous for both of you."

"You are right."

"I will see you later," says Paul before running down the pavement. Thanks to his quickness he reaches his ambition in less than ten minutes. He steps into the woods carefully and tries not to think about Lara. He really hopes that she will be gone when he returns home. Deep in thoughts he doesn´t really notice that there is some else in the woods. He hears some weird noise. He takes a look at the source and gasps. There really is someone else. It´s a girl. He has never seen her before and wonders what she might be doing here in the middle of the night. She has long brown hair and wears dark clothes, but he can´t really see her face. He then notices that she almost trips over a stone. He can´t help but run towards her.

"Watch where you are going," whispers he dangerously before reaching behind to grab her arm. She then faces him and suddenly everything´s changing. The strange girl is so small that he is almost afraid to touch her roughly. Her burning stare seems to burn right into his soul when she stares at his body. When she looks him in the eyes he is irritated and angry. Why does he want to scream at this girl when he doesn´t even know her?

"You could have watched, too," hears Paul the girl whisper. He can t look away from her. He swallows hard before shaking his head. He then begins to laugh.

"Don´t think so," answers he before glaring at her. His stare is cold, but he tries to laugh because he observes that she must be really nervous around him. He really wonders why she´s so uncomfortable around him. He hasn´t done anything wrong, right? His facial expression changes. How dare she? Andrenalin is rushing throuhg his body now, he is angry and excited at the same time. This has never happened before. He then just turns away from her. It´s just so odd to watch the strange girl. When he is finally alone he leans against a tree. He breathes heavily. What has just happened?

Who is this girl?


End file.
